We noticed that you're using an unsupported browser. The TripAdvisor website may not display properly.We support the following browsers:Windows: Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome. Mac: Safari.

My husband and I will be stopping over for a few hours in Brno en route from Vienna to Prague. I know, I know - a few hours is not enough to do justice to the town. But we're locked into our reservations in both Vienna and Prague, so we'll have to make due. Aside from walking around and taking in the sights (I've printed out some of GCEK's walking tour advice), I'd like some guidance on a good place for lunch - someplace not terriby touristy but that might have a menu in English (since neither of us can speak or read Czech). The only thing I'd like to avoid is a very smoky place. Any recommendations would be most appreciated.

Most places have menus in English of some kind or another, and thankfully nowhere is terribly touristy!

Pegas is good for the more traditional Czech food with excellent beer, or if you want great pizza then there is a place called Adria on Masarykova.

Some of the best places are on Veveří street, which is not in the centre, but leads out from the Red Church - in recent years a few decent pubs and restaurants have sprung up around there, to add to the existing ones, and it is quite a studenty/well-to-do residential area. A couple of nice places there http://www.cattani.cz/ (79 crowns for a decent plate of pasta, beer only 25 crowns) or Bistro Franzhttp://www.bistrofranz.cz/

However best of all is Kabaret Špaček - it is owned by an old friend of mine and I am not recommending it purely because of that fact, but because it is genuinely very good indeed. It is on Kopečná, very near the cathedral on the other side of Husova, and takes a little bit of seeking out, but it is worth it. They have a couple of dishes every day, and each day it is something different and usually quite surprising - something you would never have thought of before. The prices are great and you won't pay more than 100 crowns for an excellent meal and they have a very good selection of beers. If you look on google maps you can find it. , The menu, such as it is, will not be in English as it changes on a daily basis - however, they will surely make every attempt to explain to you what it is :) The only thing is that it is a bit 'alternative' and can be a little bit smoky, but then again so can anywhere. However, it will not be as bad as Vienna where smoking seems to be obligatory. If it is a nice day almost everywhere has outside seating.

I was hoping you'd respond, GCEK! Thanks for the suggestions. I'm not a big beer drinker, but my husband is, and I'm pretty sure Pegas would be right up his alley. Is it in fact open for lunch? I hope the weather will be nice 10 days from now; I understand it's rather wet this week.

Yes - Pegas is open. If it is nice then upstairs there is an outside terrace - in order to get there you go through the doors at the very back of the main hall or there is also a lift. I have only been up there a couple of times, but one time they were grilling on an open barbecue out there.

It is impossible to tell what it will be like in 10 days' time, but it is fluctuating at the moment. No doubt it will settle ...

Thanks - We are back from our trip to Vienna and Prague - with a stop in Brno, and just wanted to thank all who offered suggestions, especially GCEK. We enjoyed our 4 hours in Brno, of course, it wasn't enough time. Still, we had a great time, and a nice lunch at Pegas. My husband loved the beer! It's a very nice town, and definitely less touristy than Prague.

I must say that the meal we had there was very good indeed - a beautiful piece of pork fillet with fresh vegetables all straight from the farmer's market which is a couple of minutes away. I think it cost 85 crowns (about €3) - the same thing would easily set you back €20 elsewhere, and it almost certainly wouldn't have been as good.

There are a few Černá Hora pubs around the city - the one mentioned above, U Prokopů, is probably the best, and a bit of good company there never goes amiss :)

If you are a fan of koleno (pork knuckle) then Blahovka wins all round for knuckle, atmosphere, beer, free bottles of slivovice and cheese balls - have you tried reproducing them yet at home, unclegus?